Tottenham projected starting XI at Southampton: No Lloris for Spurs

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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 13: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides fourth goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton at Wembley Stadium on January 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) /

Attacking midfielder-Dele Alli

Southampton’s mediocre central defense must seem like an absolute bullseye to Dele. He’s the perfect man to take advantage of the Saints’ biggest weakness.

The key for Dele, as always, will be for him to avoid being wasteful with the ball at his feet. Sometimes, he makes the game too complicated for his own good. Even so, he can erupt with real moments of brilliance out of absolutely nowhere. Don’t doubt his ability to score a key goal in this fixture.

Attacking midfielder-Christian Eriksen

The Southampton defense is also a terrific matchup for Eriksen. He will expect to have plenty of time and space on the ball against the Saints.

When Spurs are playing their best football, Eriksen is pulling the strings. He doesn’t always score goals to help his club, but his passing ability often unlocks acres of space for his teammates. Southampton would be well served to try to make him as uncomfortable as possible.

Attacking midfielder-Heung-Min Son

In many ways Erik Lamela is the better fit to play in this match, but it’s impossible to keep Son out of the starting XI given his current run of form. Outside of Harry Kane, the South Korean is the club’s most dangerous offensive weapon at the moment.

It would be a massive plus for Spurs if he could develop a bit more chemistry with his fullbacks. Both Aurier and Davies seem to lack some understanding of when to overlap when they’re deployed on the same side as Son. His increased playing time as of late should help the club overcome these sorts of inconsistencies.

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